It’s that time of the year again! As bowl games roll around and NFL coaching spots heat up, speculation and rumors come crawling from everywhere. It intensifies if you’re Deion Sanders, one of the most electrifying names in football. The cold air of a jump to the pros is blowing nowadays. And Coach Prime has been tied heavily to teams like the Dallas Cowboys or Las Vegas Raiders.

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, who was Sanders’ teammate from 1996 to 1999, is quite vocal in the matter. During an interview with TMZ Sports, Aikman said that he believed there’s still a path for the Cowboys to persuade Sanders to leave CU if their head-coaching job open up.

“I do know that Jerry, he’s a world-class marketer. Deion is obviously not far behind that, and I think if you were to put the two together, it would be quite interesting. I think there’s some compelling reasons as to why Jerry might have an interest.”

“But I do know that Deion’s done a great job there in Boulder, and when he says, ‘Hey, I’ve put the kickstand down,’ that’s simply alerting everyone that if you want him, you’re going to have to pay for it, which is not a surprise either. I do think that Deion could be enticed, especially with his son moving on and going to the NFL. [Kickstands] are not welded to the ground; you can raise them,” Aikman said.

Meanwhile, Colorado athletic director Rick George told a local reporter his goal is to keep Sanders in Boulder for as long as possible. However, amid all the chatter, if you ask Coach Prime, the noise may seem miles away from his reality.

On the latest episode of the Pacman Jones Show, Sanders took the mic and said it in bold letters. When host Adam Pacman Jones asked him about the rumors and mentioned the Cowboys, Raiders, and even his alma mater, Florida State, Deion did not shy away from addressing the situation.”I love where I am; I am happy where I am. I can’t wait to see what the future holds where I am. I love Boulder, Colorado. I have every intention, every plan in the world to be coaching for the Colorado buffs from here on. I want to finish here. I want to put my name on the mountains out there; I want to put my flag down in Colorado.” However, this is not the first time Sanders has stated this.

One of Sanders’ teammates during his Super Bowl-winning year was Michael Irvin, who interviewed Sanders last month on FS1. Irvin didn’t shy away from the speculation and he mentioned that Sanders might be a good fit as coach of the Cowboys. He shut down the talk immediately, with a pinch of humor.

“Oh Lord, don’t start that,” Sanders said. “I love it where I am. I love it where I am.” Deion then took the FS1 crew on a video tour of his office, which is inside Folsom Field and has a view of the mountains. “Let me take the computer in here, because you’re starting to talk that talk. I love it where I am,” Sanders said. The point is Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter also supports it. “I got a lot of insight. He’s going to be right where he’s at right now,” Hunter told reporters in New York City on December 13.

That pretty much clears the air, right? Sanders signed a five-year, $29.5 million deal in December 2022, and after that, he never looked back. He took over a team that went 1-11 before he joined and turned Colorado into a 9-3 powerhouse in just two seasons. What’s next for them? A holiday bowl game against BYU, where the buffs will try to cap their 10th win.

But, Deion’s brilliance aside, how can we forget his starboy Travis Hunter winning the Heisman Trophy just a few days ago? Not only that, but Shedeur has also been a standout player under Coach Prime. Both of them will probably end up at the top in the 2025 NFL draft. However, Deion Sanders has made it pretty clear that he won’t let his boys’ draft get affected at any cost.

Deion Sanders is protective about Shedeur Sanders’s NFL draft

Although Deion Sanders’s main focus remains on Colorado, his influence goes far beyond college football games, especially when it’s about his son. Not only Shedeur but Hunter as well. Not so long ago, during the speech with Keyshawn Johnson, Sanders made it pretty clear that he would intervene if he didn’t find Shedeurs’ draft process fair.

“Yes, but I’m not going to do it publicly. I’ll do it privately,” Sanders revealed. This statement is a reminder of Manning’s 2004 draft. When he refused to play for the San Diego Chargers after getting selected as No. 1 overall, forcing a trade to the New York Giants. Sanders gave an example of it.

“Somebody that can handle the quarterback that he is. Someone who can handle understanding what he’s capable of. Not just throwing you out there amongst the world, you don’t have the support in the infrastructure of the team.” Sanders, having experience in both college football and the NFL, knows the stakes. Interestingly, Robert Griffin III thinks this is something that might make Deion consider taking up a coaching position in the NFL.

“If he has an opportunity to coach his son? Yes. I think that’s the only way Deion takes an NFL coaching job. He’s built something at Colorado that is going to be a consistent winner now. I don’t think he leaves that to coach somebody else. But if he has an opportunity to coach Shedeur and Shilo and probably try to sneak Travis in there. I don’t know if that’s going to happen. If he has a chance to go coach Shedeur, I think he will be. If not, I think he stays at Colorado,” Griffin III had told Sports Illustrated.